48. White Birch. The famous white, paper, or canoe birch has a leaf somewhat broader than the black variety, but without the heartshaped base. Its bark is its peculiar feature and cannot be mistaken. It comes off in layers and possesses a resinous quality which makes it waterproof, a fact fully appreciated by the Indians, who constructed their canoes of it. The wood is hard and tough.
49. Gray Birch. A smaller tree, known as the gray birch, also has white bark, but it is not as perfect as that of the canoe birch, does not peel in layers, and has triangular black spots on the trunk beneath every limb.
Fig. 107. Leaf of Gray Birch
It loves barren, rocky places, abandoned farms, etc., and is sometimes called old field birch. It has a fine, delicate foliage, which is not duplicated in the forest. Each leaf swings from a long, slender stem, and every passing breeze gives it a trembling effect, like the aspen. The leaf form is very odd,—a broad, flat base, and then a long, graceful curve out to a fine point, the whole edge being finely double-toothed.
50. The Beech. The difference in the leaf forms of the birch and beech is very marked. Both have toothed edges, but in the beech the spaces between the teeth are so remarkably shallow that one has to search for them.
Fig. 108. A Remarkable Growth of Beeches in Greater New York